GWSR General Discussion and Operations

The most recent 'Lineside Drainage Gang' report is a very interesting lengthy and detailed one, including a long section on the Gotherington slip repair. Well worth reading!
Included there is an image of the engineering drawing of the repair; it took me a little fiddling with browsers, etc to get access to the high-res version of the image, but once I did so, the text was all perfectly readable. For those who are having similar issues, here is a direct link to it.

This major repair works, happening as it did just as COVID-19 descended, is a hard blow. Please contribute (above) to help the GWSR through this!

Noel

 

The slip is further detailed in the Civil Engineering blog post of 26th March:
https://bridgestobroadway.blogspot.com/2020/03/bridge-37-up-side-slip.html

...which contains a link to the story (it was a bit too long to transcribe that and its pictures, bit by bit, into a blog, so we used a link).
The immensity of the works is apparent, hence the cry for help.
Now with PayPal too

 

According to the "Thank You" letter for my donation that I received today, they have in the region of £82K raised so far.

 

It's better than that, we sailed past £100,000 a couple of days ago: https://www.gwsr.com/news/Press_Office/100000_in_ten_days.html. Given that every heritage railway in the country has got a similar appeal going on, I think we've made fantastic progress. Not that it's a competition, but as a benchmark the SVR are only £20k ahead of us; we tend to try and avoid running big appeals at the same time due to overlap of supporters, so it's absolutely great news.

 

Given the widespread appeals in many areas besides the heritage sector, it is pleasing to hear this line is getting the interest of potential donors.

 

Just to mention that the Heritage Herald blog continues, despite the lockdown.
The latest one is posted here:
https://haylesabbeyhalt.blogspot.com/2020/04/week-5.html

and it will continue to be posted on Wednesdays with various little bits of news, and to keep the interest going.

Our appeal is at 70% of its target, but we're not home yet, so if you can help, please do. Who knows if the sum will be adequate, with these lockdown extensions we are seeing.

This is the link to the appeal page:
https://www.gwsr.com/Emergency_Embankment_Appeal.html

In principle of course the appeal is for the embankment slip at Gotherington, but at the moment we're not allowed to earn any income either, and there are still costs on a daily basis. So any help would be much appreciated to get us through.

In the meantime, the blog has virtual doughnuts, so do please take one

 

I'm much more interested in that big piece of plywood!

 

Here is a link to this week's posting of the GWSR Heritage Herald blog:

https://haylesabbeyhalt.blogspot.com/2020/04/week-6.html

News this week include last week's quiz answers, a new quiz, a pictorial overview of the Honeybourne triangle, and an update on our appeal.

 

There has been more news on the GWSR landslip appeal (currently £225000) and good news that work will recommence on Monday 11 May with the slip repairs, observing the current social distancing etc. As the location is fairly isolated, there shouldn't be a crowd problem! The work is due to start again on the same day that the thermometer is supposed to plummet!
https://www.gwsr.com/

I'm looking forward to visiting the GWSR sometime (I reckon it will be 2021 in my case though).

 

GWSR TO REMAIN CLOSED FOR 2020
Volunteer Announcement:
In the light of the Prime Ministers recent announcement about the slight easing of the current restrictions, I need to update you on our current position. In doing so, we have to remember that we are not a critical part of the national railway infrastructure, but a heritage railway enjoyed by so many as a hobby. We are approaching a planned eventual reopening of the railway in two stages.…
See more
https://www.facebook.com/GWSRBUSRALLY/

 

I'd just like to point out that although the statement is copied and pasted from an email sent out by our chairman to volunteers today, the headline "GWSR to remain closed for 2020" is not, has been written by an individual, as far as I can see based on nothing official from the railway. All running cancelled up to and including August, and all special events (including Santa trains) cancelled for 2020, but no pronouncement on normal running beyond August yet.

 

Seems a bit silly to cancel Santa services with 7 months to go.

 

Be aware that the presents tend to arrive around July/August, and presumably paid for by then too. That's a lot of capital to sink into something when you can't be sure that it's even happening. Yes, the presents could probably sit around until next year, but I'm not sure having all that capital tied up in presents for then 18 months is particularly great either in the present climate. That must have been one of the hardest decisions to make, it certainly won't have been done lightly, and I don't envy anyone on the board having to make these really tough calls.

 

Possibly. Or alternatively a clear decision to write off the events this year and just focus on the basics of operating without the complications of trying to anticipate how restrictions may change through the year before the stock is all purchased.

 

Have you any idea how much work (and upfront costs) goes into organising an event like a series of Santa specials?

I am not involved with the GWSR, but I do sit on the Board of another railway. We are due to meet to discuss our event programme and timetabled services later this week. There will soon come a date that railways will have to commit capital for Santas, using cash many may need to see the crisis out, to (for example) order thousands of presents.

Prudent planning IMO from the GWSR - focus on trying to run a standard service when it is safe to do so, where it will be easier (but not simple) to maintain social distancing to the benefit of your visitors and volunteers.

 

On the contrary, the Santa Specials are one of the least 'distanced' events that one could hold. Both for the 'customers' and the Volunteers. Would parents wish to expose their children to infection in the current circumstances? If it were to go ahead, unless current circumstances change drastically, then I would foresee that the 'take up' would be very low and possibly resulting in a Financial loss.

Not only that but, the next month or two would be the time when the [children's] presents would be ordered and purchased. With so much uncertainty ahead, it would be foolish to commit to expenditure in such uncertain times.

 

The email from the chairman also pointed out that we also don’t know how our older volunteers will be affected. We could have purchased the Santa presents at great cost then found that we had insufficient volunteers available/willing to help. I think it’s a prudent decision. Some railways may Decide otherwise and find they don’t fill the seats. Secondly, when railways do start running again, how much they run will depend on passenger loading and working social distancing. They could be loosing money hand over fist. The GWSR chairman also pointed out that they have the same duty of care to there volunteers as an employer and so even volunteers returning to work in sheds is fraught with issues. Poe and Sanitisation issues in a volunteer organisation is not easy and will cost money.

 

Other railways are selling their Santa services early, so clearly using a different approach.

There's nothing to say the presents couldn't be sent out to the children in the post, and the rest of the money refunded.

I would think things will be back to normal by December.

 

I'm less convinced about that - I think "normal" will be further away than that.